In 2023, most professional wrestling superstars and legends supported all genders, sexual orientations, and races. However, it turns out some veterans are still not ready to accept the truth and discriminate against people in these communities. Impact Wrestling star Gisele Shaw recently came out on Twitter and shared her unfortunate experience with a WWE Hall of Famer.
Gisele Shaw is a transgender woman who came out in June 2022 at a Pride event. She transitioned from a male to a female almost a decade ago. The Impact superstar revealed that she has experienced discrimination due to her gender multiple times throughout the years. During a recent WrestleCon event, Gisele Shaw was a part of the autograph signing and fans’ meet and greet.
Shaw revealed that she heard some transphobic slurs and heckling from across the room. After initially ignoring the comments, she walked around to search for the source of the heckling. She was surprised when the person heckling was none other than WWE Hall of Famer Rick Steiner. Steiner insulted the transgender women with some degrading comments.
This shocked Shaw to her core, as she had respected the Hall of Famer while growing up. Wrestling fans on the internet came together and showed their support for the 35-year-old. She also thanked Impact Wrestling, saying that the company supported her the most and helped her through the tough times. The company also made it clear that this kind of bullying and insulting behavior will not be tolerated under any circumstances.
Multiple wrestlers also criticized Rick Steiner for his insensitive comments and transphobic actions. Several superstars, including Will Ospreay, Kevin Nash, Chris Jericho, Sonya Deville, and many others, consoled Shaw and wished her strength to power through the comments. Fans also shared their experiences on Twitter in context of the incident and helped others with their support.
Bron Breakker responds to the allegations against his father
Bron Breakker (via WWE)Since Rick Steiner made derogatory comments against Gisele Shaw at WrestleCon, the Steiner family has been under a lot of criticism. Multiple wrestlers from WWE, AEW, and Impact Wrestling have called out the Hall of Famer and criticized his comments towards Shaw. During a recent interview, Steinfer’s son, Bron Breakker, was asked about his take on the controversy.
The former NXT Champion replied to the question by saying, “I can’t speak for my father, but that’s not a reflection of me and who I am and what I’m about”. Breakker clarified that he does not agree with the comments and has a completely different opinion compared to his father.
